MOST Scots want a single “yes or no” question in the independence referendum, a new poll claims.

Fifty-three per cent of the 1177 Scots backed a single question, while 41 per cent were in favour of a second question on more powers for Holyrood.

The poll, taken in the days after the Olympics, claims support for independence has dipped to 27 per cent, with 60 per cent opposed.

But the SNP said support for their position was far higher in polls where the “correct referendum question” was asked.

The new poll, ordered by the Mail on Sunday, asked: “Do you agree that Scotland should become a country independent from the rest of the UK?”

The SNP’s favoured question is: “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?”

An SNP spokesman said: “The most recent poll to ask the correct question shows just a nine-point gap between support for an independent Scotland and the Union.”

He added that the issue of how many questions were on the ballot paper should be decided by Holyrood, not “dictated by Westminster”.

But Labour’s Alistair Darling, head of the pro-Union Better Together campaign, said: “This latest poll shows our message is getting through. Being a part of the United Kingdom represents the best of both worlds for our country.”

He added that the support for a single question in the referendum should be enough to stop Salmond and his colleagues dithering over how many questions to ask.

The poll, by Progressive for the Mail on Sunday, surveyed 1177 adults last week.